10:30 - 11:30 AM - Convocation: "My Revolutionary Idea"Brian "Fox" Ellis, storyteller, author and naturalist, will portray a young Charles Darwin recounting his adventures sailing on HMS Beagel and the evidence that led to his revolutionary theory.Free admissionCentennial Hall

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM - President's State of the College MeetingOlin Auditorium

7:00 PM - "Let's Talk About It: Making Sense of the American Civil War"Steve Warren will lead this final session on the American Civil War.For details or to register and obtain copies of program materials, visit 2nd fl. reference desk or call 309.524.2470. Free admission.Moline Public Library, 3210 41st Street, Moline, Illinois

Announcements

For those who may be interested in the two-week international development seminars from CIEE as well as the $3,000 grant from the International & Off-Campus Programs (IOP) office to three faculty participants, click HERE for information on the seminars, the grants from the IOP office and from CIEE as well, and some criteria used when vetting applications for the IOP grants. At the bottom of the sheet is a list of past recipients. Please feel free to contact them to get the story of their two-week program.

There are 18 different programs this year, including a new one not in the brochure (but available online) in Cuba.

Applications for the seminars are due to CIEE in March, but applications for the IOP office's $3,000 grants are due February 6, 2012.

Born in London in 1812 to a father who impoverished the family, Charles Dickens went on to write 15 novels and many short stories and other writings, and is considered to be one of the greatest writers of English literature. The current display in the library features several first editions of Dickens's works. Our copy of Little Dorrit, for example, is open to the cover of one of the serial parts in which the books were first issued. The parts were later bound. In addition to his famous works such as Bleak House and Oliver Twist, Dickens also produced five Christmas books, beginning with A Christmas Carol, published in 1843. Our copies of these books are in the original cloth bindings. Join the birthday party on Tuesday, February 7 at 4:00: Cake and punch, and exhibit of books from Special Collections.

I HEART AUGUSTANA!

In honor of Heart Month, Augustana's Wellness Team is proud to announce a series of heart- related programs in partnership with Trinity Regional Health Systems. These lunch-and-learn sessions are being led by faculty member Dr. Darrin Good and local physician Dr. Nate Fierce '00 in partnership with Trinity's HeartAware program.

This event kicks off a month of heart-related programming planned by Augustana's Wellness Team in partnership with Trinity. Throughout the month of February, you can take part in programs and events targeted at heart health, identifying potential warning signs of heart-related issues and living a healthier lifestyle.

February 7- Trinity HeartAware Info DeskOlin 204 - 1 PM- 4 PM

Trinity representatives will be on campus to discuss the HeartAware program, to answer questions and to assist anyone interested in taking the on line screening.

A Trinity cardiologist, Dr. Puri will share the latest research on heart health.

Need an incentive? If you participate in the HeartAware screening in February, you can also enjoy free fresh fruit on Friday, March 9 in the College Center's Chicago Room, and you can enter your name in a drawing for one of 25 FREE Chair Massages!

PRESIDENT'S STATE OF THE COLLEGE MEETING (Note: Faculty Meeting has been cancelled)Thursday, February 9, 201211:30 AM - 12:30 PMOlin Auditorium

You are encouraged to join President Bahls for his State of the College report Thursday, February 9, 2012. You will be updated on various initiatives here at Augustana. Preliminary Agenda:

Greeting

Board Retreat (addressing challenges on the horizon)

President Obama's recent remarks about higher education (cutting aid for high cost colleges)

Capital projects on campus: Old Main, Center for Student Life, Football Field

As different as night is from day, so are the selections for this thematic program. The lush sonorities of Eric Whitacre's Nox Aurumque, the poignant sadness of Tormis' Singing Aboard Ship, and the uplifting inspiration of Clausen's In Pace make this a concert that should not be missed! Joining the Nova Singers for each concert are eight high school students and their choirs participating in Nova's Project Sing!

Brian Katz (Math Dept.) is a member of the Nova Singers, and their upcoming concert contains a few pieces from other cultures, some of them not well represented in the western choral cannon. Two pieces are in Italian, one (amazing) piece in Estonian, a setting of five folk songs in Polish, a Russian folk song that will be sung in English, a Greek folk song, and another that is "Spanish" but entirely non-sense syllables. Please share this concert announcement with your international students or students with recent immigrant families or multi-lingual students.

Admission is $16 for adults and $12 for seniors. All students are free. More details can be found on the Nova Singers website.

Adam Kaul presents: "Busking, Fishing, and Rioting: A report from My 2011 Research Trip & EIEE Seminar in Ireland"Adam Kaul spent most of the month of June, 2011 in Ireland for two purposes. First, he conducted fieldwork in the west of Ireland at the new Cliffs of Moher interpretive center. The new center has become a site of conflict between the county officials, the center's employees, local vendors and "buskers" (musicians who play for tips). He also spent some time, mostly getting seasick, out on the open seas with his fishermen friends. Second, he attended a CIEE seminar in Belfast in Northern Ireland learning about the peace and reconciliation process that has been ongoing since the 1998 Easter Peace Accords. Adam will summarize both parts of his trip, and talk about how he will incorporate what he learned into his teaching and research

John Tawiah-Boateng presents: "The Emergence of Liberal Arts Education in Africa"John Tawiah-Boateng made a research presentation on "The Inception of Liberal Arts Colleges in Africa and the Potential Implications" at the annual conference of Africa Network in Indianapolis, on September 17, 2011. Under the general conference theme of "Changing Africa, Changing Pedagogies," John's presentation examined the new phenomenon of liberal arts colleges in Africa, including the factors which may have given rise to them, and the likely trends of their development. John will follow up on the opportunities and challenges offered by this development to American liberal arts colleges like Augustana, in his sabbatical report on 13 February, 2012.

The 2012 White Privilege Summit Core Committee is requesting program proposals for this year's theme, Exploring Economic Inequality. The Summit provides an opportunity for critical discussions about diversity, multicultural education and leadership, social justice, race, gender, class, sexual orientation, environment, health, religion and systems of privilege and oppression. Members of the core committee chose this theme in an effort to broaden the scope of this year's Summit. By offering a series of facilitated workshops designed to offer a wide range of perspectives, the committee hopes to create a challenging learning experience for all participants. Your voice is critical to the workshop's success.

The 2012 Summit will take place on Thursday, March 22, 2012. We invite you to submit a concurrent session proposal utilizing this speaker form. Program proposals and/or questions should be emailed to Ken Brill by Friday, February 17th.

Again this year Augustana College will participate in the Midwest Faculty Seminars sponsored by the University of Chicago. Participation permits the College to send two faculty members to any single seminar. Below are the dates and titles of the remaining 2011-12 seminars. If you are interested in attending any of these, please contact Pareena Lawrence.